His Little Girl
by Baloo
Summary: An unexpected continuation, as per requested... this time from Sarah's POV. Sarah’s father reflects upon the recent changes in his daughter.
1. Part 1

**Summary:**  Sarah's father reflects upon the recent changes in his daughter.  Short, with a little surprise ending.

**A/N:**  I was going to classify this as humor, but then I figured not everyone might find it funny.  So, take it whatever way you want.  Review please!

**Disclaimer:**  Among the list of many things that I DO NOT own, you will find the Labyrinth and all the characters used in the following story.

His Little Girl 

His little girl had changed.  So sudden it was, really.  They left her home one day, as usual, to watch after Toby while they enjoyed a night out.  It'd been the first time since about Karen's seventh month of the pregnancy that they'd had a change to enjoy themselves, alone, together.  The way they used to in the old days, when they were dating, or when they were newly married, before the demands of parenthood, the first time for her, and second for him, put an end to those ways.  By then they were finally able to trust Sarah enough to watch after him, and Toby not to have a fit every time his mother left the room.  They were allowed some freedom.

Sure, they had indulged a little, maybe a few weekends in a row, and Sarah wasn't quite as understanding by the end as she had been at first.  But then, Sarah was always a little melodramatic.  She had a tendency to blow things out of proportion, say things that she later regretted.  He supposed it was in her blood, taking after her mother and all.  And they wouldn't have asked if she had had other plans, but she never did, so they couldn't understand why she felt it such a burden to look after her own brother.  It was only for a few hours, a couple of nights a week, and it was the only thing they ever really asked of her.

Anyway, she had changed.  They came home that one day and she was just… different.  Not necessarily bad, at least not right away.  At first, she was happy, agreeable, ready to accommodate everyone.  Even volunteered to baby sit Toby without being asked.  But a couple of days later, it all changed, and it was like a dark cloud hung over her day and night.

He'd never actually seen her cry, but sometimes when she came to dinner, on those occasions when she could be made to come down from her room at all, her eyes were puffy and red, dark circles standing starkly against her pale skin.  She looked… empty.  Like someone had bled the very spirit from her.

She never threw any of her temper tantrums anymore, but it wasn't the relief he had always imagined it would be.  It was as if she weren't really there at all.  Absent-minded and ever forgetful, as if nothing in the world were worth her concern.  They were reluctant to leave her alone with Toby anymore, reluctant to leave her alone at all.

It lasted for about a month, and then one day it all suddenly changed… again.  Back was the bright cheery girl that had appeared for those few short days before, and gone was the depression that had threatened to swallow her whole.  The transformation was baffling.

"I think it's drugs," he told his wife one night, forehead creased in worry.

She had smiled at him, in that way only a woman could smile at you, when she knew something that you didn't.

"I think it's love," she replied.

For one horrified moment, he could only stare at her, unable to get his mind around that prospect that his little Sarah, his princess, could be… in love?

He groaned.  "God, I hope it's drugs."

He didn't think it would last, this pleasant mood, but he was wrong.  Month after month passed, and yet she remained… happy.  Contented.  In a way that she hadn't been since those days of their original little family, before Karen and Toby, when she'd had both her father and her mother by her side.

But if his wife was right, and it was love indeed, he had yet to meet this boy who'd captured his daughter's heart.  She never brought him home, never even went on dates.  And he couldn't understand how she could be sneaking around behind their backs when she spent her nights and weekends at home.  The only time she left the house was when she went to school, to the park afterward, or occasionally to the library.  She might have been lying, but he'd followed her a few times—out of paternal concern, so he felt it justified—and had guiltily realized she spoke only the truth.

Alone, she was always alone, and yet happily so.  He just didn't understand it.

One night, on his way back from getting a glass of milk to settle his troubled stomach, he happened by her room and noticed the light from beneath the door.  He found himself knocking on the wooden surface, perhaps seeking company in his restlessness.

"Just a minute!" came the uneven reply and he frowned at the frantic sounds coming from within the room.  Hurried, panicked movements.

Then the door flung open, and there she was, standing in her pajamas, cheeks slightly flushed, a little out of breath.

"Hi daddy," she smiled, but the expression was somewhat strained, more for appearances than genuine pleasure.

"You okay?" he asked worriedly.  He couldn't help but let his eyes drift beyond her shoulder, taking in the rumpled sheets, but the otherwise normal room.

"Sure, why wouldn't I be?" she replied airily.  "I was just… cleaning up."

He nodded, feeling a little foolish for his suspicion.  This was his Sarah.  It was the middle of the night and she was in her bedroom, where she should be.  Maybe she was flustered, but she didn't look high.

"Okay.  Good night."

"'Night daddy."  The door closed again and he walked away, reassured.

He settled into acceptance and four months had passed with the "new" Sarah.  Maybe this was normal.  She was sixteen, and teenagers went through phases.  Maybe she had just reached that point of maturity where she was finally seeing the world through adult eyes.

And it wasn't as if she were the perfect vision of agreeableness.  They still argued on occasion, although nothing serious, just those regular parent-child disagreements.  She wasn't always happy to oblige when asked to look after Toby, and sometimes her grades could be less than what he knew her capable of.  She seemed… normal.

Then one night, after Toby had been put to bed and Sarah was off in her room, as usual, the illusion was shattered.  Permanently, irreparably so.  It was his wife, actually, who shattered it for him.

"John," she began hesitantly, as they sat in the den, the room quiet without the noise of the television, which she had turned off a few minutes earlier.  "There's something I think you should know."

Apprehensive from the tone of her voice, he lowered his newspaper slowly, carefully, folding it and placing it off to the side before he answered.  "What's wrong?"

She sighed.  Concern colored her features and the way she nibbled at her lower lip indicated that she was thinking on just how to word whatever she was about to say.

"Karen?" he insisted, worry increasing with her reluctance.

"I was…" She paused and sighed again.  "I was doing some dusting earlier today, and when I was in Sarah's room, I found…" She opened her hand before her, showing him what she held.  "I found these."

He stared quietly for a moment, gathering his thoughts to temper his reaction.  He had to take this calmly, because if he acted out of anger, chances were, he would just make things worse.

"So it is drugs," he said finally.

There was an awkward pause.  "No John," she replied, and if possible, she looked even more uncomfortable than she had before.  "They're… they're birth control pills."

Normally, he wasn't a violent man, but at that instant, his found his vision clouded by a haze of red.  Rage was all he knew as he moved without thought.  Up, out of his seat, climbing the stairs to his daughter's room.

"John!" Karen called after him, genuine fear apparent in her voice.  "John, please!"  He ignored her.

His hand was on the doorknob, turning it, but he found it locked and that only served to fuel his anger.  He slammed up against the door, putting all his weight behind his shoulder.  It was sturdy, but not sturdy enough, and after the third try there was a loud crack and it burst open.

His breathing loud in his own ears, blood pounding in his head, he found himself staring back at his daughter.  Sitting upright on her bed, sheets clutched around her obviously naked form, she wore an expression of utter shock and horror.

His little girl.

"Where is he?" he fairly roared, glancing about the room.  Window firmly closed, bed empty but for her, no one present but the three of them.  Whoever had been there—for clearly he was there no longer—seemed to have simply disappeared into thin air.

"_Who_ is he?"

Behind him, he was vaguely aware of Karen's presence as she came upon the scene and let out an audible gasp.  Neither father nor daughter paid her any heed.

Eyes that were wide with terror suddenly narrowed in determination.  Jaw set firmly, she raised herself to her knees and glared back at him.  The look on her face, he could only describe as regal, as she opened her mouth and proudly declared, "Daddy, I'm in love with the Goblin King!"


	2. Part 2

**A/N:**  So you all want more, huh?  Well, this part takes a look at things through Sarah's point of view.  I've changed the genre from General to Humor/Drama.  Does that make sense?  Well, it works in my little head, so I'm going with it.

Hooded Crow ~ Ammunition for my brother?  If you knew about half the things he did, you would understand why I don't worry about that.  For every moment of stupidity I have, he has about fourteen and a half.

**His Little Girl**

**Part 2**

Some people would say she was crazy for sleeping with the Goblin King (others would say she was lucky, and Sarah was more inclined to agree with these individuals).  After all, she was sixteen.  He ruled a kingdom of goblins.  If nothing else, in her world it was illegal for him to be having sex with her.  In fact, it was probably illegal for him to be having sex with *anyone*.  Yes, he was *that* old.  Well, she had never asked him his age outright, not out of good taste so much as a certain sense of dread when it came to hearing the response.  But there was an impression of incredible experience she got during their conversations.

Yes, they had conversations.  It wasn't all about sex.  Not entirely.  She loved him.  She'd told him as many times as he'd told her.  Besides, whatever it was that was between them, he didn't seem to mind.  And neither did she, because she got all those wonderful benefits of being the Goblin Queen, without having to leave behind her other life.

Oh yes, she was the Goblin Queen.  He'd given her the pendant, a smaller version of his own, to wear to signify their relationship.  She hadn't asked exactly who it was they were "signifying" this relationship to, considering the fact that everyone they knew still remained in the dark about this new arrangement.  If a marriage is to be successful, sometimes you just don't point out these tiny little flaws in your significant other's logic.

Goblin Queen.  Yeah, that was her.  Of course, when he'd asked her, she hadn't been as impressed by the title as she had been by the idea of him wanting her as his wife.  Yes, she knew he loved her, and once he had offered his everything to her... but wife!  Only a few months earlier, the mere idea of getting married would have frightened her into a coma.  But how things change, and how people grow.

So they were married, in every way that mattered, and now it was perfectly fine for her to be sharing her bed with him.  Always her bed, never his.  She told him that when she returned with him to the Underground, it would be for good.  No traveling back and forth for a quickie.  Of course, he had the good grace not to mention that was exactly what *he* was doing.  Again, if a marriage is to be successful, sometimes you just don't point out these tiny little flaws in your significant other's logic.  He'd told her time and again, he wouldn't pressure her into the decision.  And he hadn't.

Three months now, and life had been bliss.  But it had followed on the heels of what had been the single darkest period of her short life.  Defeating the Goblin King and his Labyrinth, she had come home and enjoyed an all-night celebration with her newfound friends.  The victory had been sweet, but short-lived, and the elation ended a few days later when the magnitude of what she had done came crashing down on her.

He had offered her his heart, and she had turned him away.  The depression that followed lasted a month, and there were times when she wondered if she could truly continue on.  She had called him--oh don't think she hadn't--time and time again.  But he never came.  Later she found out that it was his own pain and anger that had kept him away as long as he had.

Then one day, long after she had given up her efforts and resigned herself to her fate, there he was.  Glorious, imperious, arrogant, haughty... all dressed up in his black leather and flowing cape.  If he had expected a fight, he would have been sorely disappointed, for all he got was Sarah's body hurtling toward him, as she overwhelmed him in her desire to express her joy.  They had fallen into the bed, tumbling from the impact, but they hadn't gotten back up until three hours later, when her parents returned from dinner at the boss' house.  With record-breaking speed, she cleaned up all evidence of his visit, and even managed to sneak in a kiss that left him looking dazed and disoriented, before she waved him off on his merry way.

Needless to say, she rarely spent her nights alone after that.  There were some close calls though, the burden of living under her parents' roof.  And she felt guilty about the lies and the deception, but she hardly expected them to be able to understand, even if she chose to tell them the truth.  Oh, she could see it now.

"Dad, Karen... remember that day four months ago when you left me alone with Toby while you went out?  No?  Oh well, that's okay.  Anyway, I was feeling mighty pissed at the time so I kind of wished Toby away to the Goblin King.  And imagine my surprise when he turned out to be real... of course I realized my mistake immediately and asked for him back.  He didn't, decided to make me run this Labyrinth instead.  Well, to make a long story short, I beat him, won back Toby, but we kind of fell in love in the meantime, and for the last three months we've been sleeping together.  But it's okay, because we're married."

Yeah, that would go over *real* well.

But of course, then there was the ultimate slip-up, the one that ended the charade once and for all.  She supposed she should have been more careful, hidden away the pills a little better than that.  After all the trouble she went through to get them without either of her parents learning about the fact, you'd think she would have erred on the side of caution.  But alas, love does strange things to one's senses, such as robbing one blind of them... as well as common sense.  Karen must have found them, shown them to her father.  And then he came steam-rolling into her room, demanding the who's and where's.

Thank god he hadn't arrived two minutes earlier, or things might really have been embarrassing.  The three knocks it took for the door to burst open were enough to get Jareth out of the room when he had previously been lying idly next to her... but if they had been otherwise engaged, chances were good they would truly have been caught red-handed.

Knock one came just seconds after she heard Karen's voice yelling through the floor.  The frantic tone to her words was enough to alert Sarah of a problem.  Then the sound of the knob turning, and stopping as it reached the lock.

Clutching the sheets to her chest, she bolted upright on the bed.  "Oh my god!  Jareth you have to go!"

BAM!

"Sarah, I can't leave you alone when your father's like this."

"If you're here, it'll only make things worse!"

BAM!

"Let me take you with me."

"No, not like this.  Just go!"

BAM!

"Sarah..."

"GO!"

And he was gone, disappearing into thin air just as the door burst open and John Williams stumbled in.

"Where is he?" he raged, fiery eyes absorbing the sight before him.

Sarah cringed on the bed.  She'd never seen her father like this.  Behind him, Karen arrived on the scene and let out an audible gasp.

"Who is he?"

At that, Sarah suddenly found her courage.  Who is he?  He's the goddamned, frickin' Goblin King!  And she was his Goblin Queen.  She pulled herself up so she was kneeling on the bed, squaring her jaw and staring back at with enough fire in her own gaze to make him reconsider his thoughts.

She took a deep breath of air and proudly declared, "Daddy, I'm in love with the Goblin King!"

There was a moment of silence and both adults looked at her like... well, like she had just declared that she was in love with the Goblin King (come on people, isn't that strange enough?).  And then the rage resumed.

"Sarah, I don't know what you think you're doing, but you're not going to evade the issue by making insane declarations!"

Sarah stared back at him indignantly.  "Insane declarations?  You asked me who he is, and I just told you."

Karen came to her husband's side, placing a gentle hand at his elbow.  "John, maybe this isn't the best way to deal with this... or the best time."

John turned his head toward her and demanded, "What do you mean this isn't the best time?  He's obviously just been here, probably took off when he heard me coming up the stairs, and you're telling me this isn't the best time?"

Karen swallowed thickly but persisted.  "At least let her get dressed before we discuss this... reasonably, like adults."

"Adults!  Adults?  We are not going to discuss this like adults, because although we may be just that, she is still a child.  A child who has been whoring herself under our very roof!"

Outrage got the better of Sarah as she leapt to her defense.  "How dare you call me a whore!" she screamed.  "And I am *not* a child!  I am an adult, who can make her own decisions!  And it is none of your business who I sleep with!"

Her father turned back to her, murder in his eyes.  Sarah shrank back on the bed, utter terror taking the place her earlier anger had vacated as he took two steps closer to her while Karen tried to drag him back.  He ignored her continuing his advancement despite the resistance.  Sarah let out a frantic scream, "JARETH!!"

Then it was as if an invisible hand had thrown John Williams across the room, causing him to fall into the bedroom wall, rattling the entire upper level of the house.

Jareth was pulling Sarah into his arms as he stared down scornfully at her father.  "I told you I shouldn't leave."

But before further conversation could be made, Karen let out a strangled cry and fainted, falling heavily to the floor.  At almost that same instant, John too left the land of the conscious.  But to salvage his likely bruised male ego, let's just say there's a minute, infinitesimal possibility that he may actually have hit his head in the course of his fall, and thus blacked out.


End file.
